Device for packaging tuna fish and similar in bags of metal or metalized plastic

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a device for transferring inside bags quantities of product shaped and dosed in a cake-forming machine for tuna fish and similar. Said device comprises a container ( 1 ) provided with at least one internal cylindrical cavity ( 2 ) having an axis parallel to that of the container ( 1 ) that can be closed at the bottom by a shutter ( 3 ), as well as an above standing pusher ( 5 ) provided with at least one piston ( 6 ) having a cylindrical head ( 7 ) with diameter slightly lower than that of the cavity ( 2 ) of container ( 1 ), said piston being suitable for going through said cavity ( 2 ) and pushing the content thereof downwards until it is emptied.

[0001] The present invention relates to the packaging of tuna fish, meat or similar food in bags of metal or metalized plastic, and in particular to a device for transferring cut and dosed slices into the above mentioned bags.

[0002] It is known that tuna fish, meat and other similar food are presently marketed, as well as in the fresh state, also in the preserved state, ready for the consume. The marketing of said food preserves has taken place for a long time by using suitable metal cans. Recently the marketing thereof in bags of metal or metalized plastic, which are in some cases preferred by the consumers, has broken out.

[0003] In the past, suitable machines have been designed for packaging tuna fish in cans, which have remarkably contributed to the commercial success of this branch of the food industry. One of these machines is the subject matter of Italian patent no. 1,247,499 in the name of the same Applicant and is capable of compacting, forming and cutting suitably dosed slices of tuna fish for the immediate packaging in quantities of weight guaranteed by the rules in force in the different countries of the world.

[0004] The packaging of tuna fish in metal cans is particularly preferred when the product is in the form of slices of compact flesh. On the other side, the packaging of the tuna fish in the bags of metallized plastic is preferred in the marketing of minced of crumbled tuna fish. However, in these cases the technical problem of a precise weighing of the product arises, problem which does not exist in the preparation of the cans since the above mentioned machines are used.

[0005] Object of the present invention is therefore to provide a device which enables the dosing machines used for packaging the tuna fish in cans to be employed in the packaging of the same tuna fish in bags. Said object is achieved according to the present invention by means of a device whose features are specified in the first claim. Other features of said device are specified in the following claims.

[0006] The device according to the present invention offers the advantage that it allows a quick and precise dosing of exact quantities of tuna fish, also in the minced or crumbles state, for the packaging thereof in bags of metalized plastic or metal.

[0007] Further advantages and features of the device according to the present invention will appear to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0008]FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a device according to the present invention;

[0009]FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the same device during working in the step of filling one bag;

[0010]FIGS. 3 and 4 show perspective views of a variant of the device according to the present invention; and

[0011]FIG. 5 shows a scheme of the connection of the device according to the present invention to a known dosing machine used in the packaging of tuna fish in cans.

[0012] With reference to FIG. 1 the device according to the present invention is shown to comprise a container 1 internally provided with a cylindrical cavity 2 whose axis is parallel to that of the container 1. The cylindrical cavity 2 is intended to receive the tuna fish and therefore behaves as a box.

[0013] The device according to the present invention also comprises a pusher 5 provided with a piston 6 whose free end carries a cylindrical head 7 having a slightly lower diameter than that of the cylindrical cavity 2 of container 1. This suitable sizing allows piston 6 to be pushed inside cavity 2 so as to take cylindrical head 7 underneath slidable shutter 3 of container 1.

[0014] Pusher 5 is structured in such a way that it may be controlled by means of a pneumatic, hydraulic or other circuit, according to known methods, which therefore do not require a further description.

[0015] The device according to the present invention is sized so that a bag 8, which has to be filled with tuna fish in the following way, can be positioned under it.

[0016] In FIG. 2 there is shown that pusher 5, after having received the suitable command, has pushed downwards piston 6 whose cylindrical head has gradually taken down tuna fish cake 4 contained in cylindrical cavity 2 until it falls completely inside bag 8. This has been made possible by the fact that slidable shutter 3 has moved laterally in the direction indicated by the arrow thus leaving the bottom of cavity 2 completely free. Shutter 3 has received the opening command in synchrony with the command that has driven pusher 5 thus causing the downward movement of piston 6.

[0017] In FIG. 3 there is shown a different embodiment of the device according to the present invention wherein container 1 is provided with two cylindrical cavities 2 and 2′ and pusher 5 is provided with two pistons 6 and 6′ respectively provided with cylindrical heads 7 and 7′. This coupled variant of the device according to the present invention allows the simultaneous filling of two bags 8 and 8′ with the consequent doubling of the filling capacity. The number of cavities inside container 1 could be further increased after having obviously found a suitable shutting system for the bottom of container 1.

[0018] In the coupled variant shown in FIG. 3 container 1 is made of cylindrical shape and its bottom is provided with a disc 9 centrally hinged in 10 to the bottom of the container itself. Disc 9 is provided with two circular holes 11 and 11′ having diameter and center distance equal to those of cavities 2 and 2′.

[0019] In FIG. 3 holes 11 and 11′ are not in correspondence with cavities 2 and 2′ of container 1 and therefore the bottom of the latter is closed and tuna fish 4 is kept inside the two cavities. When disc 9 is rotated by 90° around central pin 5, as shown in FIG. 4, holes 11 and 11′ thereof come in correspondence with the bottom of cavities 2 and 2′ so that the tuna fish can be pushed through these into bags 8 and 8′ and at the same time cavities 2 and 2′ of container 1 are emptied.

[0020] Now, with reference to FIG. 4 there is shown that pusher 5, after having received the suitable command, has pushed pistons 6 and 6′ downwards as indicated by the vertical arrow and at the same time another command has caused the rotation by 90° of rotating disc 9 of container 1 as shown by the horizontal arrow drawn in the figure. Said rotation has caused the circular holes 11 and 11′ of disc 9 to be in correspondence with the base of cavities 2 and 2′ of container 1 whose bottom has been thus opened. The lowering of pistons 6 and 6′ inside cavities 2 and 2′ of container 1 has caused the downward thrust of cylindrical heads 7 and 7′ which in turn have pushed downwards tuna cakes 4 and 4′ until these have fallen inside bags 8 and 8′ respectively.

[0021] Bags 8 and 8′, once filled with the dosed quantity of tuna fish, are carried by a suitable conveyor towards the sealing plant. At the same time two new bags are arranged opened under the device according to the present invention which in the meantime has been brought back to the starting position, and is ready for emptying a new container 1 which comes from the cake-forming machine and has therefore the cavities 2 and 3 each carrying a dosed quantity of tuna fish.

[0022] Now, with reference to FIG. 5 there is shown in a schematical illustration how the device according to the present invention in the coupled variant of FIG. 3 can be connected to a cake-forming machine 12 of the above mentioned type. Said machine is capable of compacting and cutting quantities of tuna fish or meat, thus forming compact cakes having the desired weight. Normally it is provided with a device which pushes the dosed cakes of tuna fish inside the cans. The device according to the present invention allows to transfer said dosed cakes inside the bags of metal or metalized plastic. To this purpose, container 1 is shaped so as to have the two cavities 2 and 2′ which, being closed by the rotating disc 9 are exactly like a pair of cans for the cake-forming machine 12.

[0023] By means of the movement star 13 the filled container 1 is transferred on a conveyor belt 14. Belt 14 conveys in a continuous succession containers 1, each having cavities 2 and 2′ filled with product, towards a second movement star 15 which transfers one by one the filled containers under pusher 5. At the same time a suitable command, not shown in the drawing, causes the rotation of rotating disc 9 of container 1 and therefore the opening of the bottom of the two cavities 2 and 2′ of said container. At the same time pusher 5 shoves the cakes of product inside the underlying opened bags (8, 8′) arranged at a reciprocal distance equal to the center distance between the two cavities 2 and 2′ of container 1. In such a way the two bags 8 and 8′ are filled as shown in FIG. 4 and the operative cycle starts again.

[0024] Containers 1 emptied of their content are transferred from a conveyor belt 16 which, by means of a overhead transport 17, brings back empty containers 1 towards the cake-forming machinel2. Before the empty containers 1 are filled again by means of the cake-forming machine 12, a suitable mechanism (not shown in the figure) causes the rotation of the rotating disc 9 of each container 1 so that the bottom of each cavity 2 and 2′ is suitably closed for the filling thereof with the tuna fish to be transferred to the device according to the present invention for the packaging of the product in bags.

[0025] Container 1 can have any shape suitable for the purpose and can be made n any suitable material. The metal material is preferable, but also some plastic materials can be suitable. The same can be said about the other parts of the device according to the present invention. Additions and/or modifications can be made by those which are skilled n the art to the embodiments described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings while remaining within the scope of the present invention. 

1. Device for transferring into bags quantities of product shaped and dosed in a cake-forming machine for tuna fish and similar, characterized in that it comprises a container (1) provided with at least one internal cylindrical cavity (2) having an axis parallel to that of the container (1) that can be closed at the bottom by a shutter (3), as well as an above standing pusher (5) provided with at least one piston (6) provided with a cylindrical head (7) having diameter slightly lower than that of the cavity (2) of container (1), said piston being suitable for going through said cavity (2) and pushing the content thereof downwards until it is emptied.
 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the container (1) is provided with two internal parallel cylindrical cavities (2, 2′) which can be closed at the bottom by a rotating disc (9) provided with two circular holes (11, 11′) having diameter and center distance equal to those of the internal cavities (2, 2′) of container (1), and the above standing pusher (5) is provided with a pair of parallel pistons (6, 6′) arranged with a center distance equal to that existing between the internal cavities (2, 2′) of container (1).
 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the two pistons (6, 6′) of the pusher (5) carry at their lower end the two cylindrical heads (7, 7′) respectively, having diameter and center distance equal to those of the cavities (2, 2′) of the container (1) and suitable for going through said cavities in order to push downwards their content and to empty them.
 4. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises also command members for translation of the slidable shutter (3) or for rotation of the rotating disc (9) of container (1) in synchrony with the working of the pistons (6, 6′) of the pusher (5). 